


Wandering Home

by TobytheWise



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst, Bittersweet, Established Relationship, M/M, Mark of Cain, Wanderlust, coming home
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-26
Updated: 2019-09-26
Packaged: 2020-10-28 22:29:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 500
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20786087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TobytheWise/pseuds/TobytheWise
Summary: Simon bears the Mark of Cain, forcing him to wander and drift. Once a year, he retreats, stowing away from the world in order to spend time with the one his heart craves most. Once a year, he gets to come home.





	Wandering Home

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by Anonymous in the [sh_ficletinstruments](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/sh_ficletinstruments) collection. 

Simon walks through the treeline, tilting his head towards the sky and smiling as the sun warms his face. The smell of the salty ocean hits his nose and it triggers that part of his brain that associates the smell to all the other times he’s been here, all the warm feelings those memories bring. 

The sun is warm against his skin until Simon doesn’t only feel the warmth of anticipation but actual warmth against his usually cool skin. Despite being a daylighter, Simon still runs cold. He finishes his trek until he’s face to face with the little yellow house. He finds the spare key, where it’s always hidden in the fake plant beside the door. He can’t help but smile when he thinks about Raphael’s exasperated look when Simon had gotten the damn thing. He thought it was stupid to hide a key in it, but so far, in all the years, it’s worked out well. 

Simon steps inside, just taking a moment to appreciate  _ their _ little spot. After getting the Mark of Cain, Simon tried everything to get rid of it. After years of living with an itch that refused to be scratched, nagging just under his skin, driving him literally crazy, Simon decided enough was enough. The  _ need _ to wander was too great. So he left. He wandered. He explored. 

But he always came back. 

The agreement started after the last of his friends had passed while Raphael remained. 

Once a year, the same date every year, they meet up in their spot and spend an entire weekend together. They stay as long as Simon can before the pull of wandering draws him away once more. 

Simon starts a fire in the hearth. He stares into the flickering flames, wondering if Raphael will even make it this year. He’s heard of the drama happening in New York. He knows it’s selfish to take Raphael away from his clan. Simon  _ knows _ , but he still hopes. He can’t help it. 

Simon’s eyes find the window and he lets out a sigh as he notices how dark it is. It’s only a matter of time.

Butterflies somersault in his belly. He bites the side of his thumb, a nervous habit he never gave up from his human years, despite them being practically ancient history at this point. 

With his eyes on the fire, the door behind him opens. The air around him stands still. There’s a pull in his belly and Simon follows it, turning around and facing Raphael. 

Seeing Raphael again, after an entire year, should be awkward and stilted. Maybe they should hesitate or talk or feel foreign. But there’s not an ounce of questioning, only rightness. Simon moves without thinking and Raphael does the same. Their arms wrap each other in a fierce hug. Warmth that would rival the sun fills Simon’s chest as their lips meet for the first time in a year. Wandering might be Simon’s life now. But this,  _ this _ is Simon’s home. 


End file.
